Fluid Kiteboarding Lush 3.0 138 x 41cm 2020
Reviews / Twin Tips
2,355
At A Glance
The Lush 3.0 from Fluid Kiteboarding is a board catered for those who enjoy freestyle and wakestyle kiting, hit also delivers exceptionally well for freeride. The Lush has been developed by Fluid team riders and local kiters in the Netherlands to enhance the performance and give riders a board that everyone can enjoy.
The board consists of a full wood core and basalt fibre. Previously the Lush was half carbon but the 3.0 see’s Fluid change to a full basalt fibreboard. For those that aren’t quite sure what this means, basalt fibre is similar to carbon in strength but allows a little more flex as it’s not quite as stiff. This can give riders that soft feel on landings, great pop with a responsive feel, exactly what I felt when I took this board out. The Lush is also U.V. Proof and scratch resistant due to an I.C.P. top sheet, meaning your board will still look great after a few dings!
Looking at the board, you can see the progressive rocker line and, on the base, there are 8 channels which really engage grip, give supreme pop and excellent landings. Plus, the graphics on this board can’t be missed! The stealthy look is paired with coloured silver flakes giving the board a unique feature over other twin tips, and let’s face it; people love having a good-looking board when they are down the beach.
Designed for more high-performance riding, the Lush 3.0 can be worn with both boots and bindings. I had the I.C.E. M.A.X. Bindings on this one. Assembling the bindings were rather straight forward, and there’s plenty of inserts on the deck to give the rider plenty of choice for foot placement. Being able to change both the strap on the lower and upper part of your binding is a nice feature to give you the best possible comfort. This board would do some serious shredding with boots!
Sizes: 138x41cm, 141x42cm
On The Water
This board holds SOOO much grip on the water. Due to its 3D bottom shape and 8 channels, you really feel locked in at every stage of your session. One area I found it performed extremely well was on the landings. When it hits the deck, you feel the grip straight away, and for those jumps where you over-rotate or go ‘too’ big, it’s great to have a board that makes up for your mistakes and allows you to ride out comfortably.
At the time of testing, it was a little choppy, but the board handled this really well. I thought before taking it on the water, it might have felt super stiff, but I didn’t have this feeling, and I found the construction and design to be really comfortable on the knees!
Upwind ability was also very impressive. After sending a few tricks and hitting some big air naturally you find yourself a little downwind, but park your kite back to where you need to, edge hard, and you’ll fly back upwind. I had the 4.5cm asymmetrical cupped fins on this board, the fins having a slight angle to them this also made riding upwind that little bit easier. I felt comfortable when I was riding with power and speed, and not once did I feel out of my comfort zone.
Overall
My time with the Lush 3.0 was great! It’s defiantly a board that caters for those who are freestyle junkies, and it’s clear that the thought process behind it is aimed at experienced level riders who like to ‘send it’. The way the board has been designed wouldn’t suit everyone, but with that being said it does deliver good performance across the playing field and is a very fun, playful and responsive board to ride, one I’ll for sure be taking out again! It’s a really nice overall finished product, great graphics, comfortable foot straps and insane grip! It comes highly recommended.
This review was in Issue 84 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit Fluid KiteboardingRelated
By Liam Dredge
Liam fell in love with all Watersports after completing numerous seasons aboard, he then picked up kiting whilst in the warm tropics of the Carribean and has been obsessed ever since! Anyone that knows him would say it's near the only thing he talks about (which drives some crazy), and he loves to keep up to date with all the latest news, equipment and events that kiting has to offer. Liam also runs his own Watersports Centre along the south coast of the UK, LOOP Watersports, which is where our IKSURFMAG Test Centre is located!
